Sack Farming: Innovation for Land Scarcity Farmers in Kenya and Ghana
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Transcript of Sack Farming: Innovation for Land Scarcity Farmers in Kenya and Ghana
Sack Farming: Innovation for Land Scarcity Farmers
in Kenya and Ghana
Abstract: Food insecurity and poverty create environmental challenges in many developing
countries. These challenges become compounded as agriculture, urbanization and industrialization
compete for space. In this restrictive context, agricultural land use extensification become
superseded by intensification. Nonetheless, there is hunger and starvation in Africa and other areas
which practice less agricultural intensification. As a result, innovations are required to address food
insecurity and poverty. In this regard, urban agriculture plays significant role as exemplifies by
green rooftop farming, backyard gardens, community gardens, commercial farms and public
institutional gardens. A latest addition to urban farming (sack farming – garden in a sack) has come
to supplement urban vegetable production by making use of urban soils, spaces and waste. Examples
of sack farming in large African cities like Nairobi, Kenya and refugee camps in Uganda offer very
useful lessons particularly for the latest introduction in Ghana. This paper provides a review.
Kenneth Peprah
University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Samuel Twumasi Amoah
University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Joseph Nyaaba Akongbangre
University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
ISSN 2319-9725
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1. Introduction:
The twenty-first century has witnessed a critical event in the world’s history since for the first
time, more than half of the world population lives in cities [1]. According to Science Daily,
May 23, 2007 was the day that the urban population overtook the rural one. Thus, the urban
population reached 3.303.992.253 people, whereas rural population amounted to
3.303.866.404[1:696].As observed by UN-DESA [2], only 2% and 14% of the world
population lived in urban areas in 1800 and in 1900, respectively. However, it is projected
that by 2020, 55%of the world population will live in urban centers, and this percentage will
furtherrise up to 60% and 70% in 2030 and 2050, respectively. It is therefore crucial to
indicate that, these projected urbanization trends are likely going to present tremendous
consequences in urban planning and in the fresh food supply in particular [1:696].Admittedly,
the urbanization process occur along with a wide range of unwanted consequences, which
include reduction of fertile lands, deforestation, air and water pollution, reduced drainage and
the creation of peri-urban areas where socio-economic constraints are exacerbated and
poverty is aggravated[1 citing Baud].
According to UN-HABITAT [3], the annual urban growth rate of sub-Saharan African
countries is estimated at 4.58%. This presents a scenario that, the unbridled population
concentration is expected to be a major feature in the global south which will occur
particularly in urban areas creating a situation of exploding demand for all necessities of life
including land to produce the much needed food to feed the rapidly increasing population.
Corroborating the foregoing, the population increase and concentration further culminate in
straining the capacity of the cities to provide basic infrastructure and livelihood support
especially for the urban poor[4].Already, the urban poor spend major portions of their income
to feed themselves but food consumption remains insufficient in quality and quantity which
exposes them to both work and food insecurity [5]. Given the circumstance, identifying
innovative ways of cultivating food amidst land scarcity is increasingly becoming critical.
Compounding the woes of the urban poor is the poor management of resources which have
further depleted the opportunities of living in urban centres. Unfortunately, measures to
alleviate poverty are not readily available which may explain the dramatic increase in poverty
levels in urban areas. Nevertheless, the intervention of international development agencies in
tackling urban poverty is relatively new[1 citing UNFPA]. To this end, the emergence and
development of urban agriculture in general and urban horticulture in particular is being
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practiced spontaneously in developing countries to address urban poverty and improve the
wellbeing of city dwellers [1].The adoption of urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy is to
improve the livelihood and food security of city dwellers majority of whom are poor[6; 7].
According to Hui[8]urban agriculture includes green rooftop farming, backyards gardens,
community gardens, commercial farm and public institutional gardens managed by schools
and hospitals.
As observed by Gallaher et al.[9], the prominence of urban agriculture in the past three
decennia was almost insignificant. Nonetheless, in recent times it has been identified as one
critical activity that is gaining popularity among urban dwellers worldwide. To this end, its
development in and around cities has reached a phase of rapid expansion especially in
developing countries due to the extent to which it provides livelihood support especially to
the urban poor. Urban agriculture is defined as the production in the home or plots in and
around urban or peri-urban areas which in most of the cases classified as an informal activity
which is quite difficult to characterize with accurate data and trends [1 citing Ruel et al. and
FAO]. Supporting the definition, Allen et al. [10]described urban agriculture as
environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially just alternative systems to
conventional food production. Owing to the high competition and scarcity of land, it occurs
in limited spaces.
Generally, urban agriculture is considered as a means to enhance local food security, reduce
the economic and environmental costs of food transportation chains, improve local income
earning potential, reduce poverty as well as improve the sustainability of urban communities
[11; 12]. Another key aspect of urban agriculture is the utilization of city water and municipal
solid waste as source of plant nutrients and also as growing containers (sacks, bags, cans). It
has therefore a crucial role in managing natural resources for a sustainable environment.
Quiet apart from that, it is further argued that, incorporating urban agriculture into
communities can play a critical role in creating vibrant spaces, enhancing sense-of-place and
providing opportunities for social inclusion [11; 13; 14; 15]. In addition, urban agriculture
provides cities with food security, health (curbs air pollution), ecology (greening cities),
poverty reduction and reducing vehicular traffic of food cargo[8].To Njenga and Karanja
[16], urban agriculture supplements food supplied by rural agriculture; it is near to urban
market; urban agriculture lowers production cost due to low transportation cost; and, it
reduces post-harvest losses as well as provides employment and income. Urban agriculture
further involves the ability to use open urban spaces such as under electricity grid lines, along
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roadsides and railway lines, river banks and institutional lands. In the foregoing discussions,
it can be observed that urban agriculture presents wide range of social, environmental, and
economic impacts on the city [17].
Observing the urbanization trend, it is argued that urban agriculture is likely to become a
permanent characteristic of most cities, across the globe. For instance, it is estimated that
50% rate of the urban population in Accra (Ghana) are involved in urban agriculture [18],
80% in Brazzaville (Congo), 68 % in the five biggest cities of Tanzania, 45 % in Lusaka
(Zambia), 37 % in Maputo (Mozambique), 36 % in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso),
35%inYaoundé (Cameroon) [19; 20] and an estimated 29% of families in Kenyan’s cities,
are also employed in urban farming [21].
One important form of urban agriculture, the subject matter of this paper, is sack gardening or
vertical gardening where the cultivation of plants takes place in large sacks filled with soil. It
is a form of urban agriculture that is known to be practiced by households in one of the
largest and densely populated slums in sub-Saharan Africa called Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya
[22] where land for farming is very limited. The scarcity of land brings to the fore one
unintended socio- economic consequence that is associated with urbanization as it becomes
increasingly challenging to satisfy the diverse urban land uses which include urban
agriculture. As reported by Gallaher et al.[9], sack farming allows farmers to take advantage
of small open spaces to grow food by planting 20 to 40 plants into the sides and top of a 50kg
sack filled with soil and using stones to create a vent in the middle of the soil through which
water is distributed to the plants in the sack.
Aiken [23] reproduced that food insecurity is likely to go up in West Africa due to increasing
urbanization, rising global food prices and chronic poverty. The consequences may vary but
the likely ones may include food riots and civil unrest. These will pose serious threats to
burgeoning democracies in the sub-region. In order to solve these problems, rapid food
production and income generation particularly for slum dwellers are important. Sack farming
provides the opportunity to address the twin objectives. Many urban poor people who could
not afford to practice expensive forms of urban farming can use sack farming to increase
access to food as well as generate income from sale of the produce. Other benefits which may
accrue to sack farming include the use of vertical space, local farming knowledge of rural-
urban migrants and use of commonplace materials like plastic sacks, soil and stones.
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Generally, sacks are well known for packaging of farm produce (e.g. cocoa and coffee
beans), grains such as maize, rice and millet, other foods (e.g. sugar), farm inputs (e.g.
chemical fertilizer) and mails/letters (e.g. postbag). Hence, sack is briefly defined here as
traditional storage material. Waste sacks that have no use for the original purposes are filled
with soil and used for vegetable farming, here after, sack farming. The practice of farming in
sack involves growing seedlings in large sacks filled with soil [23; 24]. Within Kenya
particularly Kibera suburb of Nairobi as already alluded to, sack farming is a sustainable
livelihood activity. Kenya’s case is used by this paper as the first case study. The second case
study taken from Ghana is rather a pilot project which seeks to introduce sack farming to land
scarcity irrigated farmers in rural farming rather than urban setting. Although, the two case
studies depend on sacks for providing land/soil for farming, the method of supplying water to
the soil differs. The discussion that follows scrutinizes the two modes of sack farming.
2. Materials And Methods:
The study combines literature review and qualitative data. The primary data was sourced
through photography and key informant interviews. It also involved a field trip to Kibera,
Nairobi Kenya and Balawa in the Wa Municipality of Upper West Region, Ghana. The
qualitative data is subjected to discussion with a backdrop from the literature.
The first case study indicates Mashimoni eco-school compound in Kibera, Nairobi where
teachers and pupils make use of small plot of the school to grow leafy vegetables in sack
farming. The school develops compost from solid waste to support sack farming. The
compost is also used to support the growing of trees and green grass at the frontage of the
school therefore earning the accolade eco-school. The second case study depicts an
agricultural experiment underway at Balawa a peripheral community in the Wa Municipal of
the Upper West Region of Ghana. In both country cases, plastic sacks are filled with soil
whereby a vent is created at the middle of the sack from bottom to top. The purpose of the
vent is to create water way to the soil. The vent is made with stones of varying sizes in
Kenya’s case whilst Ghana’s vent is made from PVC pipe with perforated holes to aid water
supply. Also, Ghana’s PVC pipe vent is filled with charcoal black grain-less maize cobs. The
sides of the sacks are holed to create planting spaces for vegetable seedlings.
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A detailed description of construction of sack farm begins with the creation of a central vent.
The material used for vent construction is of paramount importance to the success of this kind
of farming. While a stone vent may provide water to all the parts of the sack, the same cannot
be said about the use of PVC pipes. This is because water gushes out only through the
provided random outlets provided on the pipes. The possibility that water may not go to all
parts of the sack is major concern. A summary of the first case study method is provided in a
report by the United Nations University project – Education for Sustainable Development in
Africa.
A primary school called Mashimoni which practices Urban Agriculture. Behind one of the
classes, there was a small farm where Kales were being cultivated. The area was so small
yet, the vegetation was enormous. Once the kales had reached certain age (3-4 weeks) they
would be uprooted and planted in a sack garden. This was manila sack filled with a
combination of soil and compost manure. The sack was filled initially to about 12 inches
with the treated soil then a hollow tin was placed right at the center filled with ballast. Soil
was thereafter added surrounding the tin up to its top and the tin was then pulled, once it
seemed almost empty, the tin was topped with more ballast and this was done until the sack
was full. This sack therefore had soil mixed with manure and its center with a pipe-like stone
to water the vegetation. Once full, 20 liters of water is poured right at the center, stone area,
then the sides of the sack is pierced with holes (2 -3 centimeters) for the seedlings to be
planted. The holes are made such that every line has eight holes and there are five rows of
the same alternating, hence making a total of 40 holes in any given sack. Once the kales have
grown to 3-4 weeks in the garden, some are given to the parents of Mashimoni Primary, some
is transferred into these sacks and on maturity (2-3 months) it is part of meal for the children
during lunch hours. This sack had enough manure to be used for at least 3 years according to
the teachers of Mashimoni Primary [25:71].
Figure 1 shows construction of sack container for vegetable farming in Kenya.
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Figure 1: Construction of sack container with stone vent in Nairobi, Kenya
Source: picture taken by Kenneth Peprah on 28th
February, 2010
Figure 2 displays the vents and some sack containers in an exhibition plot in Ghana.
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Figure 2: Experimental plot of sack containers with PVC pipes as vents,Balawa– Wa, Ghana
Source: picture taken by Kenneth Peprah on 24th
March, 2014
Figure 3 shows sacking farming at Mashimoni primary school compound at Kibera, Nairobi,
Kenya.
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Figure 3: Leafy vegetables growing on sack container in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
Source: picture taken by Kenneth Peprah on 28th
February, 2010
Figure 4 shows demonstration sack farm at Balawa, Wa Municipal, Ghana.
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Figure 4: Experimental plot of sack container for tomato farming at Balawa in Wa
Municipal, Ghana
Source: picture taken by Kenneth Peprah on 24th
March, 2014
3. Results And Discussion:
The unavailability of land represents the highest limiting factor to food production in and
around cities [14]. This explains why in both case studies, land scarcity is imminent. Urban
land uses particularly for housing leaves no space for gardening in the case of Kibera suburb
of Nairobi; and, in Ghana’s case, irrigation farmers have exhausted the available farming
land. Hence, there is the pressing need to create innovative additional planting spaces to grow
crops to serve both food and income purposes. If the objective of sack farming is to reduce
income expenditure on farming, that is, cut down on the amount of monetary outlays, then the
Kenya example does that better than Ghana’s case. The main material, sacks are normal
household items usually used forstoring farm produce which may also be bought from the
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market. The soil normally comes at no financial cost and so are the stones for the
construction of the vent. However, the PVC pipes are not materials that could be collected
freely at any construction site in Wa (Ghana). The pipes must certainly be bought (at the
current price of GH¢15.00 where US$1.00 = GH¢2.70). For the farmers living at the
peripheral communities of Wa Municipal, the cost of these PVC pipes may impede adoption
by local farmers. Nonetheless, if the returns from the Ghanaian approach proved to be quite
good, there are few farmers who may form cooperatives to pull resources together to
purchase the PVC pipes. It is also important to state that, transporting the pipes from Wa
main town (central business district) to the farming communities would also add to the cost
making the Ghanaian approach more cost intensive than the Kenyan one.
In the first case study,(Kibera, Nairobi Kenya) households and other institutions like the eco-
school cultivate crops such as kale and spinach – leafy vegetables which adapts very well to
the conditions of sack farming[22]. However in the second case study (Balawa, WaGhana),
tomato seedlings have been planted. Tomato crops creeps and its fruits would make it
difficult to hang on the sides of the sacks. With regard to suitability of crops grown in the two
case studies, vertical growing crops such as pepper and garden eggs plant would have been
more appropriate in Ghana. The cultivation of tomatoes in the Ghanaian case can be
explained by the availability of ready market for this crop.
As stated by Dossa et al. [26], urban agriculture (in this case sack farming) is an activity
highly practiced by the poor hence itssustainability to a large extent depends very much on
the income returns that it accrues to farmers. For instance, the economic benefits of sack
farming is already accruing to the residents of Kibera, Nairobi Kenya where monthly rent is
US$6.00; sack farmers earn about US$5.00 per week from the sale of vegetables, that is,
about US$20.00 per month [23:5]. The implication is obvious; sack farmers could off set
monthly rent and have some income left to cater for other needs. Already, 85% of
participants of sack farming in Kenya are satisfied with the pilot project and about 95% has
expressed willingness to continue to do sack farming. In terms of food security, low
vegetable consumption of 1-3 times per week has increased to 6 or more per week for about
37% of the participant farmers with an average of six people taking part in this meal [27:37].
Similar results from the second case study (Ghana) would depend on adoption rate. So far,
farmers’ involvement in the construction phase is nil.
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The issue of adoption needs a careful consideration particularly in the second case study
(Ghana) where supplementary food is not a problem. In this context, sack farming promotion
has only one objective which is income generation besides provision of space for farming.
Targeting landless women in the farming communities would be a good idea. In that, sack
farming would provide fresh income for the women who depend on collection of wild fruits
(shea nuts and mangoes) and firewood for sale. Ghana’s example still stands the chance of
success as sack farming is not practiced only in urban setting. For instance, elsewhere in
northern Uganda, refugees are benefiting from sack farming through the production of carrots
to boost vegetable food security, sale of home produce, generate physical activity among the
landless, reduction in time spent in gardens outside the refugee camp as well as reduction in
risk of rebels attacked during working in such gardens[27].However, in the first case study
(Kenya), the urban poor needed to supplement their income as well as food essentially
vegetable intake. Therefore, about 11,000 household adopted sack farming and in no time the
number increased to 32,000 households[28:29]. About 60 communities in Nairobi involving
55,000 individuals have adopted sack farming; vegetable produced from the sack farms
provide an average of four meals per household per week; and, income from sales of
vegetables have increased in about 40 of the communities [29]. Poor and needy students of
the Olympic High School in Kibera pay school fees in kind by supplying the school with
vegetables produced from sack farming [24].
The bane of success of such projects often borne by a donor rested on a French NGO –
Solidarites in the first case in Kenya. The NGOs assisted dwellers of Kiberato grow tomatoes,
onion, spinach, capsicum and coriander as well as maintenance of plant nurseries which
supplied free seedlings. The second case study is at initial implementing stage beginning with
a pilot project and a tomato nursery. The paper strongly advocates for local level
management in order to achieve the purposes of popular participation and sustainability of
the sack farming project.
Also, the ability of the plastic sacks to adapt to the vagaries of the weather in both scenarios –
Ghana and Kenya plays a critical role. Ghana’s tropical continental or interior savanna
climate of the Upper West Region receives rainfall of about 1,000 – 1,500 mm per annum
within five months from May to October; during the raining season relative humidity ranges
between 70% and 90% but drops to 20% in the dry season; and, temperature varies between
27oC and 36
oC [30]. The durability of sack would be a source of worry. In Kenya, the climate
is the subtropical type with Nairobi experiencing double maxima rainfall (March – May and
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October – December) with June – August dry season. The temperature in Nairobi ranges
between 11oC and 26
oC[31]. A further research on sacking farming would have to consider
durability of the plastic sacks under varying climatic conditions.
If a planting distance of 40 cm * 40 cm is assumed for growing tomato seedlings on the plot
of land; where 50 tomato seedlings normally occupy one sack as done in sack farming; on a
plot of land, 50 tomato seedlings would occupy 400 cm * 200 cm (4m * 2m = 8m2).
Furthermore, if one sack has the dimensions of 6ft * 3ft, where the base is 3ft, that is,
0.9144m, in this case, the actual ground area occupied by one sack is less than 1m2 which is
far less than 8m2
or 0.00197 acres if 50 tomato seedlings were to be grown horizontally on a
plot of land. Clearly, one sack which can contain 50 seedlings saves about 7m2 of land for
other purpose. Hence, sack farming offers an optimal way forward for land scarcity areas.
4. Conclusion:
The paper set out to compare sack farming in Kenya and Ghana and discloses lessons the
latter could adopt. Clearly, it is revealed that for the avoidance of cost, materials for sack
farms should depend on local materials which come at no or less monetary cost to local
farmers or poor urban dwellers. In addition, vertical growing crops do better than creeping
plants. Also, the weight of the vegetable fruits must be taken into consideration in the
selection of crops for sack farming. Furthermore, sack farming holds high prospects for
success when the objective is to enhance household vegetable consumption and to generate
supplementary income. Whereas the Balawa case study stands the chance of improving local
farmers income, Ghana would do a lot better if sack farming is introduced to the large towns
in the country particularly, the ten regional capitals.
Acknowledgement:
We appreciate the support of Prof. Edwin A. Gyasiand UNU-ESDA (United Nations
University, Education for Sustainable Development in Africa).
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